Bridge-gate



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 1.

H. H. SGHLEB, W. P. BACH s. T. MOONEY.

' BRIDGE GATE.

` 10.463,237. Patented Nov.17,1891.

llllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllll MINT f 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

` H. H. SCHLEE, W. P. BACH u T'. MOUNEY.

BRIDGE GATE.

lis. llllllll Il l m mkg@ UNITED STATES HERMAN H. SCHLEE,

PATENT OFFICE.

TILHELM FRIEDRICH BACH, AND THOMAS MOONEY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BRIDGE-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,237, dated November17, 1891.

Application filed May 13l 1891. Serial No. 392,575. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERMAN H. ScIILEn, WILHELM FRIEDRICH BACH, andTHoMAs MOONEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago,'inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and usefulBridge-Gate, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic gates for draw-bridges; and it hasfor its object to provide a gate of this class which shall be simple inconstruction, durable and efficient in operation, and which while not inuse shall be sunk below the-level of the street so as to be out of theway of traffic.

The invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, andcombination of parts, which will be herein-after fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 is a plan view showing thebridge approach or abutment, and showing also one end of a draw-bridgepartly swung open. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the abutment, showingthe gate lowered. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken through theabutment and bridge while the latter is closed, said view'being taken onthe line 3 3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on theline 4t 4. in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on an enlargedscale, taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1, but with the draw closed. Fig. 6is a detail `perspective view showing the draw returning .ment

At the sides of the approach are arranged the vertical grooved posts 6,which extends downwardly to the abutmcntupon which they Arest and towhich they arersecured. Said fgrooved posts form guides for theverticallymovable gate 7, which may be constructed of metal in anysuitable manner, and which are arranged to slide vertically in thegrooves in the said posts, said gate Lbeing of such a height that whennot in use'it may be sunk entirely below the level of the streetapproach.

At the end of the street approach,between the sidewalks and the carriageway, are mounted the vertical casings 8 8, at the upper ends of whichare mounted pulleys 9, over which pass the chains, cables, or otherflexible connections 10, `the outer ends of which are connected with thegate, While the inner ends of said iiexible connections carry theweights 11, which lare sufficiently heavy to overbalance the gate and toraise the latter to an operative position when the` bridge is swungopen. ,The front sides of the c'asings 8 have vertical guide-strips l1bto engage the guidelugs 12b upon the rear side of the gate.

12 designates a transverse shaft, the ends of which have bearings in thecasings S,which Vlatter accommodate the segmental gears 13 mounted uponsaid shaft. The front sides of the casings 81-that is, the sides facingthe bridge-are provided with vertical slots let to receive the racks 15,which are secured to the rear side of the gate and which engage thesegmental gears 13 upon the ends of the shaft l2. By this mechanism theends of the gate will move simultaneously and the gate will movesmoothly and easily and without danger of getting stuck, as would be thecase if it were possible for one end of the gate to move faster than theother end.

The front side of the gate is provided at its lower edge with acentrally-located bracket 16, in which is journaled a horizontal roller17. The approach is provided with a central casing 18, having bearingsfor a vertical shaft 19, the lower end of which is provided with IOO aweight 24, the tendency of which is to rock the shaft 19, so as to throwthe arm 20 of the latter and the front arm of the cross-bar 2l in aforward direction.

lVhen a bridge having only a single carriageway is used, the foregoingarrangement will become sufticien t. When, however, the bridge, as inthe drawings hereto annexed, has a double carriage-way, we prefer to adda centralcasing t, mounted centrally upon the approach and having apulleyl, over which passes a rope or chain 10a, the ends of which areconnected, 1espectively,with the upper edge of the gate and with aweight arranged within said casing. By this arrangement the increasedweight of the gate may be more readily sustained and the strain is alsodistributed lnore evenly.

The end of the bridge is provided at each side with adownwardly-extending bracket 25, having a liange 26, adapted to engagethe latch-arm 20, so as to operate the latch when the bridge is closed.The end of the bridge is also provided with a track 27, inclined fromthe ends downwardly to the center to engage the roller 17 at the loweredge of the gate for the purpose of lowering the latter.

It will be understood that the herein-described arrangement is to be thesameat both ends of the bridge and its approaches.

In operation, when the bridge is swung open, the track 27 at each end ofthe bridge gradually passes out of engagement with the rollers 17 at thelower edges of the gates, which latter are thus gradually elevated bythe counter-weights 1l until the highest point is reached, when, by theaction of the weight 24, the rock-shaft 19 is oscillated, thus throwingthe cross-bar 21 at the upper end of the said shaft in a forwarddirection, as well as the arm 2O at the lower end of said shaft. Thesaid cross-bar, it will be observed, forms a latch that engages thelower edge ofthe gate and supports the latter in an elevated position,while the arm 21 is disposed in the path of the brackets 25, having theflanges 2G at the sides of the bridge. When the latter is closed, one ofthe said tlanged brackets at each end will engage the arm 2O of therock-shaft 19, thus oscillating the latter to swing the latch 21 out ofthe path of the gate and enabling the latter to i be lowered by theaction of the inclined track 27 engaging the roller 17. The gate, itwill be seen, will thus be gradually lowered until by the time thebridge is closed it will be lowered entirely below the level of thestreet.

Our improved gate, as will be seen from the foregoing description, isvery simple in construction, and it may be applied to bridge approachesat a moderate expense. The gate and its working parts are out of the wayof travel, and are therefore not liable to be injured by accident oroverthrown by windstorms. The working parts are also so protected as toprevent unauthorized interference therewith, and the gate is not liableto .get out of order. Our improved gate forms a complete protection forthe bridge approaches when the bridge is open. It is certain inoperation and entirely automatic in its action.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- 1. In a gate fordraw-bridges, the combination of the vertically-grooved posts, thevertically-sliding gate mounted in the grooves of said posts, thecasings mounted upon the approach and having pulleys at their upperends, weights arranged in said casings and connected with the gate byflexible connections passing over said pulleys, a transverse shafthaving bearings in said casings and provided with segmental gears withinthe latter, and the racks mounted upon the rear side of the gate, working in slots in different sides of the casin gs, and engaging thesegmental racks within the latter, substantially as set forth.

2. In a gate for draw-bridges, the combination of the groovedguide-posts extending below the level of the street, the gate mountedslidinglyin said posts, the casings havingpulleys and counter-weightsconnected with said gate by flexible connections, a friction-pulley uponthe front side of the gate, a vertical rock-shaft having anoperating-arm and a latch-arm, the latter adapted to be extended in thepath of the gate below the latter, and the swing-bridge or draw-bridgehaving the double-inclined track to engage the frictionpulley of thegate and the lianged brackets to engage the latch-shaft, substantiallyas set forth.

3. The combination of the guide-posts, the

vertically-sliding gate, coun ter-weights adapted to normally raise thesaid gate, a frictionpulley upon the front side of the latter, avertical shaft having a forwardly-extending operating-arm and providedat its upper end with a cross-bar, one end of which is adapted to swingforwardly in the path of the lower edge of the gate, a counter-weightconnected with the opposite end of said cross-bar by a iiexibleconnection passing over a suitable guide-pulley, whereby when the gateis raised the latch shall4 be automatically swung into position, and theswing-bridge having the double-inclined track and thedownwardlykextending ianged brackets, substantially as movable gate, andthe counter-weights for.

elevating the same, of the vertical latch-shaft arranged centrally belowthe gate and havlng at its upper end a cross-bar, one end of IOO IIO

463,23*? e y e which may swing into the path of theigate While theothei` end is connected with a Weight by a flexible connection passingovera guidepulley, said latch-shaft being provided at its lower end withan operating-arm adapted to be engaged by one of a pair` of angedbracket-s extending downwardly from the end of the bridge at the sidesof the latter, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. l

6. In a gate for draw-bridges, the combination of thegroovedguide-posts, the oasings 8, having guide-strips 1lb, the gatemounted to slide vertically in said groovedguide-posts and havinginwardly-extending guide-lugs 12b, adapted t0 take oversaid strips 1lb,eoun- 15 ter-Weights mounted in the oasings 8 to elevate the gate, andsuitable operating mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose setforth. A

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as zo our own We have heretoaffixed oui` signatures inpresenoe of two Witnesses.

HERMAN I-I. SCHLEE. IVILHELM FRIEDRICH BACH. y THOMAS MOONEY. Witnesses:

FRED WoRMsTADT, FRANK C. KUHN.

